Noel is a painter interested in the values on display in the woven fabric of our ever expanding notions of ‘landscape.’  He believes there is an opportunity in looking closely at the landscape—not as a distinct other, but as an environment that we are always in and of. Perhaps in acknowledging this connection and exploring it through art, we can make steps toward a more responsible ecology of place.

Noel completed his undergraduate studies in Painting at Carnegie Mellon University (2002). While at CMU, he worked as a Research Associate at the STUDIO for Creative Inquiry for 6 years, primarily as a production coordinator for the 3 Rivers 2nd Nature Project. During this time, he came to appreciate the role of art in shaping environmental perception and values. He also understood technology as a tool for evolving practice and dissemination of ideas and began his digital design practice. Artists can create change.

Noel earned his Masters in Arts and Ecology at Dartington College of Arts in 2010. There he focused on establishing a theoretical foundation for his painting practice through studying landscape and cultural geography. His studies led him to alternate models of vision, strongly influenced by Merleau-Ponty’s work on phenomenology and engagement with the environment. His thesis was on ‘Landscape Perception and Inhabiting Vision: Practising to see from the inside.’ His time spent in Devon was incredibly rewarding and influential.

Noel Hefele currently resides in Brooklyn NY, where he is a landscape painter by day and a wordpress developer by night—parallel landscape practices in a environment increasingly tangled with the internet.

Noel Hefele Resume (pdf)